The Dignity of Chivalry, Title page – Dedication
THE DIGNITIE Of CHIVALRIE; Set forth in A SERMON Preached before the ARTILLERY Company of LONDON, Iune xiij. 1626. By WILLIAM GOVGE, B. of Diuinity and Preacher of Gods Word, in Black-frier's London.
EXOD. 15. 3. foreign The LORD is a Man of Warre.
CHRYS. ad Pop. Hom. 4. foreign. Antiquitùs Deus Dux erat bellorum.
LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Ralph Mab, 1626.
TO THE RIGHT VVorshipfull, HVGH HAMMERSLY Esquire, One of the Aldermen and Coronels of the Honourable Citie of LONDON, and President of the Martiall Company, exercising Armes in the Artillery Garden:
AND, To all the Captaines and Gentlemen of the said Company, Such valour as may make them victoriously stand against all sorts of Enemies.
Worthy President, Captaines, and Gentlemen.
AS by a free Election of you all, I was called to preach that which is heere presented to you, so by the first motion & earnest sollicitation of many of you, I am enduced to publish it. How farre mine owne purpose was from any such purpose, God is my witnesse How farre your desire preuailed to alter that my purpose, this euidence is an apparent euidence. Among other motiues mentioned by you that in the name of the rest were Solliciters in this busines this, which by some of you was alledged, most preuailed with me, that the more common this Sermon was made, the more commodious it might bee to your Company. How my poore paines may adde any aduantage to your important employmēts I know not. This I know, and doe openly acknowledge, & publikely professe, that my heart is set vponupon your Artillery C… pany: I louelove it: I admire it: I honour it: I praise God for it: I wil cōtinue to pray to the Lord of Hosts for his blessing vponupon it: and to my poore power I will doe, what I can for the aduancement therof. As one though a very meane and weake proofe thereof, I doe heere dedicate to you in particular, that which by your meanes, and for your sake is divulged to all in general. I confesse, that as the matter therof, so the manner of handling it, is somewhat differing from my ordinary course. For I had respect to the kinde of Auditory before which I spake. Among Souldiers I endeauoured to speake souldier-like. If offence bee taken at matter or manner, I shroud my selfe vnderunder your shields for defence Now that you hauehave brought me forth into the open field, & fet me vp to be gazed on, & baited at by the differing censures of diuers censors, leaue me not to shift for my selfe. Be not backward to patronize what you hauehave beene forward to produce. I may the rather expect all iust defence from you, because by appearing somewhat otherwise in your Assembly then I vse to doe in my vsual Auditory, I take you, worthy President for my president, yea all you valiant Captaines, and other Gentlemen whom I make as one Patrone, for my patterne herein. Me thinkes, o prudent President, when in a forenoone I see you sitting, & giuing aduice among the wise Senators of our Citie, and in an afternoone marching before the martiall Gentlemen of your company, me thinks the same man is not the same man. But of old, such hath beene the demeanor of those who hauehave beene gifted for the one & the other place, to be both graue Senators and braue Souldiers. Such were Brutus, Scipio the one and the other, Camillus, Marius, Pompoy, Cesar, and many other who were both …ogati and Armati, prudent Consulls, potent Captaines. The like I may say of all you Gentlemen of the Artillery Garden: You that are, wheresoeuer you are, in your persons the same Persons, doe with that decotum obserue the busines which you are about, as in your ordinary vocation, and Military profession, you seeme to be other and other men. Hereby you manifest your prudence & prouidence. Prudence, by sitting your selues to that which is fit for the present. Prouidence, both by improuing the time of peace, & making the best aduantage therof in the duties of your particular callings, and also by preparing your selues against the time of War, & preuenting the damage which might otherwise thence ensue. So Nulli qui est deputatus ad aliquod officium, li…: id per quod s…o officio incongruu… redditur. Vnde clericis omnino non licet bella gerere &c. Aquin. 2. 2. quaest. 40. Artic. 2well hauehave I ouer approued this your course, as if my coate and calling had been answerable, long ere this, I had endeauoured to hauehave been of your Artillery Company. But for those whose education appertaineth to me, I verily purpose, and openly professe, that if euer any Son of mine be a Citizen of London, & of sufficient ability, I will endeauour to hauehave him a member of this your Company. Of which minde I would more persons and parents were. If they were & their childrens minde, when they are of age, answerable thereto, both City & Kingdome would be much more honoured, and secured by this and other like Societies. My desire is therefore, that this which is likely to come to the view of many more then at first heard it, may preuaile with those many, to doe as you doe, and to adde able men and auaileable meanes to the aduancement of your company. As for you, the present President, Head & Chiefe of this truely honoured Society, who (if God, according to our desire and hope, preserue you among vsus) within these two yeeres and few moneths, is to bee the President, Head, and Chiefe, vnderunder the Kings Maiesty, of this honourable City, when you come to that high honour, hauehave this your Company in remembrance and let that *See page 15.double honour, which then you shall doe thereto, be to posterity a monumem that in such a yeere the President of the Artillery Society: was in such an honourable place, & of such an honourable minde. To conclude, if any aduancement (O noble President, Captaines and Gentlemen of the Artillery Company) may any way by your desire to hauehave that, which once your selues heard, lie open to the view of all, be attained, the end of yeelding to your desire is obtained. For this end therefore, humble and hearty prayer is and shall be made (to him that hath power to moue the mindes of all men according to his owne minde) by him that promiseth to beBlack-Freyers London. Iul. 10. 1026.
Your daily Oratour, WILLIAM GOVGE.